Postal card having protectable adhesively coated area



Oct. 10, 1967 B. J. TUCKER 3,345,172

POSTAL CARD HAVING PROTECTABLE ADHESIVELY COATED AREA Filed March 22, 1967 I INVENTOR. BILLY J. TUCKER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,346,172 POSTAL CARD HAVING PROTECTABLE ADHESIVELY COATED AREA Billy J. Tucker, 2715 Hemple St., Chesapeake, Va. 23506 Filed Mar. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 625,158 3 Claims. (Cl. 229--92.8)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A postal card having a planar side adapted to carry a written message and having another side opposed thereto including a first rectangularly shaped area having a planar surface adapted to carry postage and the name and mailing address of the recipient and further including a second rectangularly shaped area having a planar surface coated with a contact adhesive protected prior to use by a sheet of overlying material. The distance between the message carrying side of the card and the planar surface adapted to carry postage and the recipients name and address is greater than the distance between the message carrying side of the card and the outer surface of the coat of contact adhesive carried by the card.

This invention relates generally to a postal card, and more particularly to a card of this type provided with means enabling the sender to readily afiix thereto photographic scenes and the like of his own making or choosing prior to the posting thereof.

Conventional scenic postal cards in wide general use are presently manufactured to supply a public demand therefor only within relatively small, preselected geographical areas, such as a city or town and the proximate surrounding countryside, and vacationers or tourists visiting the area who wish to briefly communicate with relatives or other residing at a distance purchase such presently available cards for this purpose. Such conventional postal cards are generally provided with a choice of various pictorial representations of scene or objects found in the local area in which they are sold, and which serve to give the recipients thereof some idea of the features of the particular area deemed by the sender of the cards to be of possible interest. Many present day travelers, however, are camera enthusiasts who prefer to furnish their correspondents with photographs of their own making depicting the new sights they have observed and in which the traveler himself and other members of his party may also be included. Finding the presently commercially available picture post cards too impersonal for their purposes, such travelers often confine their correspondence while away from home to the sending of regular letters in order to enclose photographs made by themselves of the places they have seen. The present invention stems from a recognition of the desirability of combining the convenience that the use of postal cards affords the busy traveler with the personal touch that can only be provided by the transmittal of privately made photographs of places visited by the traveler.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of a postal card readily pictorially individualizable by the sender.

Another object of the instant invention is the provision of a pictorially individualizable postal card marketable as a standard item wherever desired.

According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are obtained by providing a postal card having a planar side adapted to carry a written message. A first rectangularly shaped section of the postal card is of a first uniform thickness, and the outer surface of this first section of the card opposed to the message carrying 3,34%,l7'2 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 'ice planar side thereof is also planar and adapted to carry postage and the written name and mailing address of the recipient. The remainder of the postal card is of a second uniform thickness and extends over a second and substantial rectangularly shaped section thereof corresponding in length and breadth to photographic prints obtainable with one of the popular film sizes used in a photographic camera. The effective thickness of the second rectangular section of the postal card is less than the effective thickness of the first rectangular section thereof, and the surface ofthe second section of the card opposed to the message carrying planar side thereof is coated with a contact adhesive protected prior to use by a sheet of overlying material. When the protective sheet of material has been peeled away from the contact adhesive, a photographic print or the like of the proper size may be firmly pressed down thereupon and thereby securely united with the postal card. The combined thicknesses of the second section of the postal card, the contact adhesive coating, and the photographic print preferably equals the effective thickness of the first section of the postal card, making the outer surface of the photograph so mounted coplanar with the outer surface of the card adapted to carry postage and the name and mailing address of the recipient.

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many attendant advantages thereof will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the postal card showing the side thereof intended to carry postage and the name and address of the recipient;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the postal card, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing an alternative embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the postal card similar to FIG. 1 but showing the material protecting the adhesive coating partially removed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate the same or identical parts throughtout the several views, and more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a postal card, generally designated by the reference numeral 11. Postal card 11 includes a sheet of relatively stiff material 12 having relatively smooth surfaces upon which messages may be written, and which may be reduced by the uniform application of pressure upon the opposed surfaces thereof from an initial thickness to a final and lesser thickness. One suitable material useable in forming sheet 12 may, for example, be a low density plastic such as styrofoam. One surface 13 of sheet 12 is entirely planar, and a conventional ball-point pen or the like may be used in readily completely covering surface 13 with a written message. The sheet 12 includes a first rectangularly shaped area 14 coextensive with one entire end section of postal card 11; the thickness thereof being the original thickness of the sheet of material 12. The surface of the area 14 of sheet 12 opposed tothe surface 13 thereof may provided with a printed legend 15 in an upper portion thereof near a side edge of postal card 11 for indicating the proper positioning of a postage stamp thereon, as well as with a printed legend 16 centrally located therebelow in area 14 for indicating the proper positioning of the name and mailing address of the recipient. The sheet 12 further includes a second rectangularly shaped area 17 coextensive with the remaining entire end section of postal card 11; the thickness thereof being less than the original thickness of the sheet of material 12. The reduction of thickness of the area 17 of sheet 12 may, when a material such as that mentioned hereinbefore is used, be accomplished by placing the sheet 12 on a flat surface with the surface 13 thereof facing downwardly and then applying uniform pressure to the area 17 to compress the material. A preferably abrupt shoulder 18 forms the line of demarcation between the areas 14 and 17 of sheet 12 and facilitates the use of the postal card 11 as more fully set forth hereinafter. The area 17 of sheet 12 corresponds in length and breadth to the size of photographic prints obtainable with one of the widely used photographic cameras such, for example, as the 3%" by 4%" photographic prints produced by one popular model of the well known Polaroid Land Camera. The surface of the area 17 of sheet 12 opposed to the surface 13 thereof is coated with a conventional contact adhesive or cement 19, which is covered prior to use by a protective sheet of material 21, such as a paper which is either wax coated or has a very hard finish, and which is readily and easily removeable from contact with the adhesive or cement 19. The combined thicknesses of the area 17 of sheet 12, the contact adhesive 19, and the conventional photographic print is such that the outer surface of the photographic print, when pressed firmly into contact with the adhesive 19, is coplanar with the surface of the area 14 of sheet 12 carrying postage and the name and address of the recipient of postal card 11. It will be noted that the thickness of the elements of postal card 11 shown in FIG. 2 have been exaggerated in the interest of illustrative clarity.

The sender of the postal card 11, who may have purchased a supply of the same suflicient to last throughout his travels before setting out thereon, or who may have just purchased one or more of the cards in the locality he is visiting, may readily and easily lift a corner of the protective sheet 21 from the adhesive 19, as illustrated in FIG. 4, and then peel the sheet 21 completely away therefrom. The sheet 21 having been discarded, a photographic print of the proper size may then be aligned with the adhesive 19 and firmly pressed down thereon, thereby securely uniting the photograph and the postal card 11. Alignment of the photograph and the area 17 of sheet 12 may be readily accomplished by initially placing the entire edge of the photograph into abutment with the shoulder 18 before pressing it down upon the adhesive 19, thereby securing substantial correlation of the remaining edges of the photograph with edges of the sheet 12. The correct postage may then be placed upon the postal card 11 where indicated and the recipients name and mailing address written thereon in the space provided. The surface 13 of postal card 11 may, of couse, carry any written message the sender thereof may wish to place thereon. The resulting pictorially individualized postal card may then be posted by the sender with a feeling of satisfaction not obtainable with the use of conventional picture post cards.

The postal card, generally designated by the reference numeral 22, shown only in elevation in FIG. 3 of the drawing, is an alternative embodiment of the present invention which, in plan view, presents the same appearance as the postal card 11. Postal card 22, which is of the same overall size as postal card 11, includes a sheet of relatively stiff material 23 of uniform thickness having opposed smooth surfaces upon which messages may be written, and which may be a paper of the type used in the manufacture of conventional postal cards. A rectangularly shaped area of one of the surfaces of sheet 23 corresponding to the area 14 of postal card 11 in shape and size is covered during manufacture with a conventional initially liquid permanent glue 24. A sheet 25 of the same material as sheet 23 and corresponding also in shape and size to the area 14 of postal card 11 is, during manufacture, pressed down upon the glue 24 before the glue hardens, and thereby becomes a permanent part of postal card 22. The outer surface of the sheet 25 of postal card 22 is intended to carry postage and the name and mailing address of the recipient and accordingly may be provided with printed legends corresponding to the legends 15 and 16 of postal card 11. The rectangularly shaped remainder of the surface of sheet 22 carrying the sheet 25 corresponds to the area 17 of sheet 12 of postal card 11, and is coated with a contact adhesive or cement 26 corresponding to the adhesive 19 of postal card 11 and which is likewise protected prior to use by a protective sheet of material 27 corresponding to the protective sheet 21 of postal card 11. The postal card 22 is used in exactly the same manner and for the same purpose as the postal card 11, as hereinbefore set forth.

It will be apparent that the postal cards herein disclosed may be manufactured in a variety of sizes and shapes to accommodate the various sizes and shapes of photographic prints obtainable with the many presently widely used cameras.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pictorially individualizable postal card having a first planar surface coextensive with the length and breadth of said card adapted to receive written messages, said postal card including a first rectangularly shaped end section and an adjoining second rectangularly shaped end section, the effective thickness of said first end section being greater than the thickness of said second end section, the outer surface of said first end section opposed to said first planar surface being adapted to carry postage and the name and mailing address of the recipient of said postal card, the outer surface of said second end section opposed to said first planar surface carrying a coating of contact adhesive, said contact adhesive being covered prior to use by a protective sheet of overlying material readily removeably secured thereto.

2. The postal card according to claim 1 wherein said first and second end sections are integral parts of a single sheet of compressible foamed plastic material compressed and thereby reduced in thickness throughout the extent of said second end section.

3. The postal card according to claim 1 wherein said first planar surface is one surface of a sheet of relatively stiff paper, and wherein said first end section includes a portion of said sheet of paper as well as a second sheet of similar paper permanently glued thereto in a superposed position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,626 11/1947 Weinschenk 22992.8 2,979,840 4/1961 Eastman 20656 3,329,333 7/1967 Ormond 22992.8 X

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PICTORIALLY INDIVIDUALIZABLE POSTAL CARD HAVING A FIRST PLANAR SURFACE COEXTENSIVE WITH THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF SAID CARD ADAPTED TO RECEIVE WRITTEN MESSAGES, SAID POSTAL CARD INCLUDING A FIRST RECTANGULARLY SHAPED END SECTION AND AN ADJOINING SECOND RECTANGULARLY SHAPED END SECTION, THE EFFECTIVE THICKNESS OF SAID FIRST END SECTION BEING GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID SECOND END SECTION, THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID FIRST END SECTION OPPOSED TO SAID FIRST PLANAR SURFACE BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY POSTAGE AND THE NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS OF THE RECIPIENT OF SAID 